I visited a doctor once when my pinky finger was hurting at the first joint. Normally it is something that I would have ignored but I went because I was insured and I thought why not? It’s not the flamboyant insurance you are thinking about, it’s the university one where most students queue for some metronidazole to get rid of that persistent itch. Once I told the doctor what was happening he said” its only pain that brings people to the hospital.” It is true, if I was not in pain I wouldn’t have gone to see him and queue for those long hours. However, there is another kind of pain that comes with a progression of the disease, cancer. Because pain is what takes us for a checkup, the pain in cancer is an indication of progression of the same.
This month is cervical cancer awareness month. We have been insisted on severally to go for cervical cancer screening and we ignore that plea because we are not in pain, we do not think we could have cancer, we are scared to find out we have cancer or life is happening and years pass by without scheduling for one. And then when you make a choice to schedule for one the bill that hits you is higher than your monthly rent while the procedure itself looks painful. Spreading your legs for someone to insert a tool, a speculum (just google for images), seems like a disturbance in your known peace. Wait till you meet some guy full of himself with no empathy asking you to relax your vaginal muscles during the insertion, and you will without hesitation, if you are vocal like I am, tell him to get out you have changed your mind. The cost of the test cannot come with a rude health practitioner. Or if you are not vocal, you get a scarring memory where you go tell your other girls how horrible the procedure was and scare them away. Again it’s not an emergency considering other life challenges you need to tackle so it at the bottom of your to-do-list.
With all these challenges then still we need screening. It is the peace of mind that comes with knowing you are cancer free especially if your family has that history. It is also the relief of early detection that can lead to eradication of it before it spreads. It is a small price to pay to check that box and have one less thing to worry about. Take time to consult various hospitals that offer that service. There are some that do it for free during campaigns and you can jump on those offers. Take your health as a priority because it is the basis of living.